Ride-sharing has already changed the way Americans depend on owning a car and how we get around cities – but now it’s time to take an even bolder step toward creating a new future of mobility. Lyft recently announced Ditch Your Car, a program offering $584 of transportation credit for San Diegans to give up their cars for 30 days from Oct. 8 to Nov. 6 in favor of getting around town with shared Lyft rides, MTS, Zipcar and Discover Bike San Diego.

Starting Sept. 26, San Diegans will be able to register at ditchwithlyft.com/SanDiego for the opportunity to receive credit toward Lyft, MTS, Zipcar and Discover Bike San Diego.

“The way that people move around cities is changing faster than ever, and we are excited to challenge San Diego residents to change their everyday habits and give up their car for a month,” said Hao Meng, market manager for Lyft San Diego. “Lyft alone is not the overall solution to overcome transportation hurdles, but by partnering with MTS, Zipcar and Discover Bike San Diego, we are able to create a full menu of mobility options for San Diego residents.”

“It’s great that all transportation providers are on board to get people to try alternative modes,” said Paul Jablonski, chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Transit System. “The Ditch Your Car promotion, in conjunction with our Free Ride Day on Oct.2, gives people many ways to explore how to use other modes to travel across our region.”

Here’s how it works:

1. Sign up at ditchwithlyft.com/ SanDiego. Fifty people will be randomly selected to participate.

2. Once chosen for the challenge, participants will receive an email with the details of the program (including transportation instructions and credits).

3. Transportation credits include Lyft, MTS, Zipcar and Discover Bike San Diego to get around the city for one month.

Since day one, Lyft has believed that cities should be built around people, not cars or parking lots. Using a mix of multimodal options, it’s possible to rework cities and ditch personal cars. Lyft is committed to being a part of the solution to reduce congestion, carbon footprint and the pain points of personal car ownership in San Diego.

NEW SCHOOL YEAR BRINGS MARINE BIO STEM CURRICULUM

San Diego students from Helix High School, La Jolla High School, Mission Bay High School, and The Preuss School at UCSD are again participating in Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute’s (HSWRI) “Seabass in the Classroom” (SITC) STEM education program.

The SITC curriculum is popular among students; teaching them about aquaculture and stock enhancement as they raise, feed, tag, and release white seabass into local waters. SITC incorporates scientific lab activities related to the release of cultured marine fish with science curriculum covering everything from biology to chemistry.

The students perform daily hands-on fish husbandry and water quality tasks as they gain an understanding of where their food comes from and related aspects of sustainability: environmental stewardship, climate change impact, sustainability of natural resources, and the importance of water quality in animal, plant, and human health.

This program also aims to excite students about possible futures in marine biology. HSWRI’s SITC program is a partnership with Get Inspired! and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife and is funded in part by Chevron Corporation, SDG&E Environmental Champions, and the Samuel I & John Henry Fox Foundation.

Upcoming Seabass classroom delivery: Thursday, Oct. 4, 2:30 p.m. at The Preuss School at UCSD, located at 3750 Voigt Drive.

Friday, Oct. 5 at 12:30 and 1:15 p.m. at La Jolla High School, located at 750 Nautilus St.

Email fmeda@hswri.org for further questions.

GOVERNOR SIGNS NO-HELMET BILL FOR MOTORIZED SCOOTERS

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill absolving adults from being required to wear helmets on electric scooters on city streets.

Dockless vehicle company Bird backed the no-helmet law, AB 2989, which also permits scooters to be on streets with speed limits up to 35 mph. State law currently bans scooters on streets with speed limits exceeding 25 mph.

Gov. Brown also signed AB 3077, which allows people under age 18, who’ve been cited for not wearing a bicycle helmet, to correct the violation within four months by attending a bicycle safety course and proving they now have a correct-fitting helmet.

Both laws take effect Jan. 1, 2019.

BIRD ROCK COFFEE ROASTERS WIN AWARDS

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, an award-winning San Diego based coffee roaster, announced today that they received sixteen medals in the 2018 Golden Bean North America Coffee Roasters Competition, which is the world’s largest coffee roasters competition.

For more information, visit birdrockcoffee.com.

LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE ANNOUNCES JEANA DE WAAL TO PORTRAY DIANA

La Jolla Playhouse announces that Jeanna de Waal will portray the title role in its upcoming world-premiere musical “Diana,” by the Tony Award-winning “Memphis” team of Joe DiPietro (book and lyrics) and David Bryan (music and lyrics), directed by Playhouse artistic director and 2017 Tony Award-winner Christopher Ashley and choreographed by Tony nominee Kelly Devine. The production will run Feb. 19 – March 31 in the Playhouse’s Mandell Weiss Theatre. The complete cast and creative team will be announced at a later date.

“For this iconic role, we were looking for someone who could portray Princess Diana’s incredible warmth and poise, along with her deep inner resolve to forge her own identity in the highly controlled environment of the royal family,” said Ashley. “A rising star on Broadway, British actress de Waal embodies all these traits and more, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have her on board as we develop this extraordinary new musical at the Playhouse.”

de Waal originated the title role of Diana, Princess of Wales at The Powerhouse Theatre reading at Vassar College, directed by Christopher Ashley.

On Broadway, de Waal starred as Lauren in “Kinky Boots” and as Heather in “American Idiot.”

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